VisitBritain CEO Patricia Yates acknowledges the challenges. “Tourism is a competitive global industry and visitors have a lot of choices,” she says. “Britain always ranks highly for its history and heritage and contemporary culture and sport, but perceptions are not as strong for its natural beauty and perceived welcome.
“The latter is a top driver in destination choice. To counter this, VisitBritain’s international GREAT campaigns showcase our welcome, inspiring visitors to discover more of Britain, stay longer and to drive that sense of urgency to come now.
“On policy matters, EU travellers used to be able to travel to the UK using just their ID card but they are now required to use a passport, which not all EU visitors own. And we are soon to see the introduction of the Electronic Travel Authorisation scheme.
“We are working with the Home Office to ensure the rollout is well communicated. We’re also working with partners across our overseas markets so they have the latest details and to give visitors the clarity they need to plan and book their visits with confidence.”
There is no question that UK tourism is recovering – but the pace is slower than the industry hoped. Visitor numbers are behind government targets outlined in its 2021 Tourism Recovery Plan, and slower than in other parts of the world, including Europe.
The Government’s target was to recover inbound numbers to 2019 figures by the end of 2023, but all the data indicates the UK won’t hit that target even by the end of 2024.
Richard Toomer, Executive Director of the Tourism Alliance – an umbrella organisation for more than 70 associations and bodies – says the Government ambition was the right one, but policies have hindered it.
“An absolutely key one was the decision to abolish tax-free shopping for international visitors. We are now the only major European destination not to offer this service, which is a key driver for many long-haul visitors,” he says.
“Our retail, hospitality and tourism businesses are really feeling the effects. Many tourists are now diverting their visits and spending to Paris or Milan or cutting short their UK trip and saving their spending until they go to Europe. Bringing this back and extending it to EU citizens would be worth £10bn annually and would boost tax revenue by £4bn a year.
“Our visa regime is awfully uncompetitive and rather than tackling it, the previous Government kept hiking visa fees further and further. A two-year visitor visa is now £432, a five-year visa is £771. A Schengen visa costs €90 and of course allows tourists to visit multiple countries on one visa. Our application process is also cumbersome and time-consuming.”
